Orrin Hatch: “Congress may delegate the power to order uniform cuts in the budget to some unnamed officer of Congress. We have all…”

“Congress may delegate the power to order uniform cuts in the budget to some unnamed officer of Congress. We have all heard the expression a player to be named later. Well, if this alternative passes, we will have a similar provision in the U.S. Constitution, where the Congress may delegate to an unnamed, unelected official the right to order uniform cuts. That is unprecedented anywhere. The Senator's point does not diminish my point at all. Fifth, the Reid amendment does not require that the whole budget be balanced, and it contains a number of loopholes through which large deficits could be run. Mr. President, it is ironic, as well, that opponents of the Simon-Hatch amendment have incorrectly criticized it as a gimmick which could be easily circumvented. It is the Reid alternative, however, that has mammoth loopholes, such as exemptions for everything outside of the undefined operating funds of the United States, including what it refers to as capital investments, a term which is not defined, and its meaning is not agreed upon at the Federal level. Who knows how broadly that might be construed? It could cover everything from education to transportation expenditures. That is a laugher. Would welfare payments be considered investment in human capital under that amendment? Virtually anything could be excluded by this loophole. Sixth, the Reid amendment has no functional enforcement provision.”